Scan barcode
jessoehrlein's review against another edition
4.0
There is so much incredible food description in many of Lau's books, and I didn't expect it here, but it was still present in Amy being so delighted to explore Toronto through food.
Lots here about standing up for yourself and making an effort for each other, as well as about grief.
Lots here about standing up for yourself and making an effort for each other, as well as about grief.
rukmini's review against another edition
Enjoyable. Agree with another reviewer that the real OTP was Amy + Toronto food scene rather than Amy + Victor.
alejandra_guerrero's review
1.0
DNF 30%. This woman is annoying! She doesn't come out as a sunshine personality, she comes out as childish, like her mental age is not the same as her phisical age (she seems to talk like her six year old niece, most of the time). It got disturbing picturing her with a 39 year old man as a love interest.
Another thing that bothered me was the extremely long food descriptions. I know more about the food in Toronto than I know about the characters. If I wanted that, I would have picked up a travel guide or read a food blog. Granted, they are good descriptions, but not what I want from a romance novel.
Lastly, there's a lot of tell and not show when it comes to the characters. And the other characters suddenly know everything about the others with a couple of short interactions. Add the absolute lack of actual plot, and I'm out.
Another thing that bothered me was the extremely long food descriptions. I know more about the food in Toronto than I know about the characters. If I wanted that, I would have picked up a travel guide or read a food blog. Granted, they are good descriptions, but not what I want from a romance novel.
Lastly, there's a lot of tell and not show when it comes to the characters. And the other characters suddenly know everything about the others with a couple of short interactions. Add the absolute lack of actual plot, and I'm out.
iviarelle's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I didn't totally vibe with either character, but the story's sweet and fluffy, and I'm a sucker for stories set in Toronto, having grown up near there. I'm very interested in continuing with the series.
littlebookterror's review against another edition
2.25
should have known this would be a fail as soon as I realized how heavy this book goes on the food descriptions - this book is for foodie lovers aka not me!
I know many people crave these more relaxed romance novels with mature, older main characters and decent communication skills and, like, firmly rooted in real life that don't appeal to me. It's almost too close to real life?
And I had a hard time with both of our protagonist's personalities, Amy's exuberance and babbling had me cringe and Victor's dour attitude boarded too close to rudeness for my taste. And while I appreciate the underlying message in regards to equal investment in a relationship, it could have been written smoother.
(And it's another notch in the "Emily Woo Zeller is probably not the narrator for me" which sucks cause she has done so many popular books I would like to listen to)
I know many people crave these more relaxed romance novels with mature, older main characters and decent communication skills and, like, firmly rooted in real life that don't appeal to me. It's almost too close to real life?
And I had a hard time with both of our protagonist's personalities, Amy's exuberance and babbling had me cringe and Victor's dour attitude boarded too close to rudeness for my taste. And while I appreciate the underlying message in regards to equal investment in a relationship, it could have been written smoother.
(And it's another notch in the "Emily Woo Zeller is probably not the narrator for me" which sucks cause she has done so many popular books I would like to listen to)
readingwithhippos's review
5.0
I binged this entire series in the course of a week and I regret nothing. It was just the boost I needed. Jackie Lau is a perennially reliable author for me. If you want to read about grown adults setting boundaries and resolving conflict and communicating effectively (and having hot sex), there’s no one better. My favorite of these was probably this one, in which small town girl Amy inherits her aunt’s house in Toronto and moves there to live her best life, including sampling both the amazing food the city has to offer and her next door neighbor, sexy grump of my dreams Victor. But [b:His Grumpy Childhood Friend|55225351|His Grumpy Childhood Friend (Cider Bar Sisters, #2)|Jackie Lau|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599175323l/55225351._SY75_.jpg|86100776] features the most adorable cinnamon roll hero, and [b:The Professor Next Door|58019972|The Professor Next Door (Cider Bar Sisters, #3)|Jackie Lau|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620785923l/58019972._SX50_.jpg|90924862] is five-alarm hot, so really you need all three of these books in your life.
haechans's review
4.0
3.5
first off, let's talk about that delicious age gap. i'm not usually a fan of age gap romances but this one is just *chef's kiss*. it just added more spice to their romance.
amy's pov was really enjoyable to read. she's not overbearing but she's also not a doormat. i like all her quirky items like her ladybug umbrella and the rainbow unicorn mug victor gave her. another thing that i like about her pov is all the mentions of food (even though they made me hungry all the time). the first thing i'll do after this pandemic is eat xiao long bao! :<
overall this book was a really enjoyable read and i can't wait for the other books in the series
first off, let's talk about that delicious age gap. i'm not usually a fan of age gap romances but this one is just *chef's kiss*. it just added more spice to their romance.
amy's pov was really enjoyable to read. she's not overbearing but she's also not a doormat. i like all her quirky items like her ladybug umbrella and the rainbow unicorn mug victor gave her. another thing that i like about her pov is all the mentions of food (even though they made me hungry all the time). the first thing i'll do after this pandemic is eat xiao long bao! :<
overall this book was a really enjoyable read and i can't wait for the other books in the series
lifefullofwords's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As usual, a great book from Lau. Not my fav but I liked it a lot. Amy and Victor had a lot more depth than they could have in another author’s hands. I think grumpy-sunshine can really go wrong but Lau gets it.
Steam: 4/5
Steam: 4/5
agmaynard's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Foodie and other experiences as small town engineer Amy moves to Toronto.